Search Headlines & Links: July 20, 2006

Below, a recap of stories posted today to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along
with other items we’ve spotted but not blogged separately:

From The SEW Blog…

Windows
Live Local Worth Another Look
Windows Live Local debuted with a splash with most attention focused on its
spectacular "birds eye" aerial imagery. Since then, Microsoft has worked to
improve the service, improving the user interface and adding unique features
not found in other local search services. SEW correspondent Greg Sterling puts
Windows Live Local through its paces in today’s SearchDay article, A Closer
Look at Windows Live Local….

Ask.com
Adds RSS Smart Answers
The Ask.com blog announced a new feature to its Smart Answers line up today.
For example, if you do a search on se roundtable an abbreviation of my blogs
name, you will get RSS feed results at the top from my blog. The Ask blog says
that the initial list of sites included "was selected based on the most
popular feeds chosen by our users in Bloglines."…

Google
Labs Launches Accessible Web Search
Google has launched Google Accessible Search, a stripped down version of the
Google search results page. The design was created to make it easier and more
effective for the blind and visually impaired. The results are a bit
different, tailored to the visually impaired, to show more accessible pages in
the results. Google told me how this actually works,…

Mid-July
2006 Search News Recap Posted
If you’re a Search Engine Watch member, the latest edition of Search Engine
Update newsletter has been posted. It recaps top stories in search from the
first part of this month….

Google
Scholar Trademark Case Settled Out Of Court
News.com reports that Google and American Chemical Society trademark case has
been settled out of court. The case was brought up against Google for using
the name "Scholar," when American Chemical Society has a similar product named
"ACS?s SciFinder Scholar." The case was dropped and each side will pay their
own legal fees. No other details were provided and both sides have
confidentiality clauses….

Google
Won’t Reveal Details Of AdWords Exchange Rates
I spotted an interesting thread which I then followed up on today at the
Search Engine Roundtable which shows that Google won’t reveal the source of
the exchange rate they use. So if you are an international AdWords customer
and you pay in your local currency, and you want to know why the exchange rate
is so poor, you are out of luck. The AdWords representative states: "the
product managers are not willing to discuss the former at this time as part of
protecting the whole." And Threadwatch notes Google also claims it can’t give
this information out for "competitive…

Amnesty
International Asking Users To Pressure Google, Yahoo & Microsoft Over China
Policies
BBC News reports that Amnesty International is urging users of Google, Yahoo
and MSN in the UK to email the search engines opposing the way each operates
in China. Amnesty International says that the search engines are aiding the
censorship. The search engines say that Chinese users are more well off then
they were prior. More on the Amnesty campaign can be found here from the
organization….

Microsoft Says Vista & Other Operating Systems Will Allow Search Engine Choice
News from News.com and Reuters that Microsoft said, they will adopt a
"voluntary principle" that will allow the manufacturers of the computers to
decide which search engine the operating system should default to. News.com
describes this as Microsoft wanting to "bolstering choice and competition" in
the market place. Wise move by Microsoft? I think so. Take a look back at
Google & Dell partnership, IE7 defaulting to MSN Search and read this. Too
funny, but smart on Microsoft’s part, IMO….

Motorola
To Add Yahoo Go for Mobile On Phones
Reuters reports that Yahoo and Motorola have teamed up. The Yahoo Go for
Mobile service will be added to many new Motorola phones. The multi-year deal
sets Motorola to add this Yahoo service on new mid-priced and high-end
Motorola phones. No specific models numbers were provided….

Google
Behind Others, Again, Catching TagJag’s New Name
SEOMoz reports that Google is once again behind the 8-ball when it comes to
picking up a domain name switch. Chris Pirillo’s TagJag site was originally
named Gada.be but was 301 redirected several weeks ago. Yahoo and MSN Search
both display the site for a search on the name, TagJag.com, but Google shows
nothing. Like we said before, Google had similar issues when Techmeme changed
their name….

Lycos
Powered By Windows Live & Retriever Directory
It’s been a long time since I’ve looked at Lycos, given how far it has slipped
in the search world. Someone asked me about it today, so I took a look — and
what’s this at the bottom of the page? "Portions powered by Windows Live."…

Can
IAC’s Pronto Shopping Search Compete?
IAC, parent of search engine Ask.com, has had a shopping search tool for some
time, in the form of Pronto, a downloadable application. Recently, IAC created
a web-based version of Pronto, which has some useful features?but it joins a
crowded field with hundreds of other players. SEW correspondent Brian Smith
takes a look at Pronto and muses about the challenges it faces in today’s
SearchDay article, Up Close with IAC’s Pronto Shopping Search….

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